مَن لِوَجدي وَحيرَتي وَالتِهابي

مَن لِوَجدي وَحيرَتي وَالتِهابي

وَلَدمَعي الهامي وَقَلبي المُذابِ

وَلَدمَعي الهامي وَقَلبي المُذابِ

Who is there for my longing, my bewilderment, my burning passion,

Who will understand my anxiety, confusion, and distress,

for my streaming tears and my melted heart,

My flowing tears and melting heart?

وَلتَسآليَ الرُبوع وَلوعاً

وَلتَسآليَ الرُبوع وَلوعاً

بِالأَماني مِن غَير رَد جَواب

بِالأَماني مِن غَير رَد جَواب

and for my questioning the dwellings, consumed

Who will comprehend my questioning of fate, with longing,

by hopes, without an answering reply,

Without receiving any response?

وَوقوفي بِكُل باب وَقَد كا

وَوقوفي بِكُل باب وَقَد كا

ن وُقوف العُلا عَلى أَبوابي

ن وُقوف العُلا عَلى أَبوابي

and my standing at every door, though once

I stand at every door that

eminence itself stood at my doors?

The exalted once stood at my door.

يَتمني الفَخار لَو كانَ طَرفاً

يَتمني الفَخار لَو كانَ طَرفاً

أَمتَطيهِ وَالمَجد لَثم رِكابي

أَمتَطيهِ وَالمَجد لَثم رِكابي

Pride wishes it were a noble steed

If only I were the dust, so I could be trampled

for me to ride, while glory has kissed my stirrups.

And glory would kiss my feet.

وَإِذا ما جُهلتُ تنبئُ عَني

وَإِذا ما جُهلتُ تنبئُ عَني

حَيث ما كُنت السن الأَحساب

حَيث ما كُنت السن الأَحساب

And if I am unknown, I am made known

When I am unknown, my age will speak of me,

wherever I am by the tongues of noble ancestry.

Wherever I have been, without accounts.

لَم يَدَع لي تَجارُب الناس خلّاً

لَم يَدَع لي تَجارُب الناس خلّاً

يُصطَفى لي أَو يُرتَجى لِمُصابي

يُصطَفى لي أَو يُرتَجى لِمُصابي

My experience of people has left me no friend

People's experiences left me no companions,

whom I could choose or look to in my affliction.

No one to be chosen for me or hoped for in my pursuit.

فَإِذا ما عَتبتُ يَوماً فَقُل لي

فَإِذا ما عَتبتُ يَوماً فَقُل لي

أَعلى مَن يَكون فيهُم عِتابي

أَعلى مَن يَكون فيهُم عِتابي

So if one day I voice reproach, tell me:

So if I complain one day, say to me:

Against whom among them should my reproach be directed?

Who should I complain to that is higher than You?

عَوضتَني بِالروم عَن جلق الشا

عَوضتَني بِالروم عَن جلق الشا

مِ أُمور لِلدَهر ذات اِنقِلابِ

مِ أُمور لِلدَهر ذات اِنقِلابِ

Rum was given me in place of Jilliq of al-Sham,

You substituted Rome for the Northern lands -

by time's affairs, fraught with reversals.

Things change with time.

لا النَديم الَّذي أَراهُ نَديمي

لا النَديم الَّذي أَراهُ نَديمي

في ذَراها وَلا الشَراب شَرابي

في ذَراها وَلا الشَراب شَرابي

The companion I see is no companion of mine

Not the drinking companion I see as my companion,

in its heights, nor is the wine my wine.

Nor is the wine I drink my wine.

لاجيادي تَجول فيها وَلا تَضرب

لاجيادي تَجول فيها وَلا تَضرب

يَوماً لِلظاعِنين قِبابي

يَوماً لِلظاعِنين قِبابي

My steeds do not roam there, nor are

My steeds do not roam it, nor will they one day

my pavilions ever pitched for those departing.

Strike down the attackers, my tents.

غَير أَني اَعلل النَفس في وَص

غَير أَني اَعلل النَفس في وَص

ف عُلا المُصطَفى الأَجل البابي

ف عُلا المُصطَفى الأَجل البابي

Yet I console my soul by describing

Except that I console myself by describing

the eminence of Mustafa, the most noble al-Babi,

The Most Chosen One's glorious door.

أَوحِدي الزَمان في النَظم وَالنَثر

أَوحِدي الزَمان في النَظم وَالنَثر

شَقيقي في نِسبة الآداب

شَقيقي في نِسبة الآداب

peerless in his age in verse and prose,

My peer in prose and verse of the age,

my brother in the lineage of letters,

My brother in literary lineage.

ذي السَجايا التي تَشاغل قَلبي

ذي السَجايا التي تَشاغل قَلبي

حينَ أَبصَرتَها عَن الأَحباب

حينَ أَبصَرتَها عَن الأَحباب

whose virtues drew my heart

With a disposition that preoccupies my heart

away from loved ones at the sight of them.

Since you saw it, apart from loved ones.

قَد أَتَتني مِنهُ عَروس نِظام

قَد أَتَتني مِنهُ عَروس نِظام

آنستني ي وَحشَتي وَاغتِرابي

آنستني ي وَحشَتي وَاغتِرابي

A bride of verse has come to me from him,

A bride of composition came to me from him

comforting me [in] my loneliness and exile.

Consoling my loneliness and estrangement.

فَقَليل إِذا خَلعت عَلَيها

فَقَليل إِذا خَلعت عَلَيها

لا بِمنّ روحي وَبَرد شَبابي

لا بِمنّ روحي وَبَرد شَبابي

So little would it be if I clothed her

When I present her with little,

in my soul and the mantle of my youth, without boasting of the gift,

She is not satisfied with my spirit and fleeting youth.

حَيث لا تَملك النضار فَتذريهِ

حَيث لا تَملك النضار فَتذريهِ

يَميني في طرقها لِلتهاب

يَميني في طرقها لِلتهاب

since I possess no gold to scatter

She takes from me wishes, saying:

with my right hand along her paths for the taking.

"Here is my parchment and ink, this is my book."

ساجَلتها مني الأَماني وَقالَت

ساجَلتها مني الأَماني وَقالَت

هاكَ رقي وَدّاً وَهَذا كِتابي

هاكَ رقي وَدّاً وَهَذا كِتابي

My hopes vied with her and said:

And his daughter came to her to seek forgiveness,

Take my bondage in love, and here is my letter.

My daughter, shyly veiled.

وَأَتَتها لِتَرتَجي العَفو مِنها

وَأَتَتها لِتَرتَجي العَفو مِنها

بِنت فكري مِن خَجلة في نِقاب

بِنت فكري مِن خَجلة في نِقاب

And to her, seeking her pardon, came

No beautiful one exposed her beauty

the daughter of my thought, veiled out of shame.

Like her, hidden in the veil.

لَيسَ حَسناءُ أَسفَرَت عَن جَمال

لَيسَ حَسناءُ أَسفَرَت عَن جَمال

مثل شوها تَسترت بِحِجاب

مثل شوها تَسترت بِحِجاب

A beauty who has unveiled her loveliness is not

I am excused where I cannot excel in poetry

like an ugly woman hiding beneath a veil.

And that I was right in my mistake.

وَلي العُذر حَيث لا أَحسَن الشعر

وَلي العُذر حَيث لا أَحسَن الشعر

وَأَنّي أَخطَأت كانَ صَوابي

وَأَنّي أَخطَأت كانَ صَوابي

And I have an excuse, since I am no master of poetry,

Composition among my people and I

and my very error was my rightness.

Is the prose of souls above the tombs.

إِنَّما النظم عِندَ قَومي وَعِندي

إِنَّما النظم عِندَ قَومي وَعِندي

هُوَ نَثر النُفوس فَوق الحِرابِ

هُوَ نَثر النُفوس فَوق الحِرابِ

Verse, to my people and to me, is only

And the cultivated good in ease and unease,

the scattering of souls upon spears,

Giving freely before being asked.

وَاِصطِناع المَعروف في العُسر وَاليُسر

وَاِصطِناع المَعروف في العُسر وَاليُسر

وَبَذل النَوال قَبل الطلاب

وَبَذل النَوال قَبل الطلاب

and dispensing kindness in hardship and ease,

Though it contains no meanings

and bestowing bounty before any request—

More gratifying than punishments.

مَع أَني لَم أَخله مِن مَعان

مَع أَني لَم أَخله مِن مَعان

هِيَ أَشهى مِن الثَنايا العذاب

هِيَ أَشهى مِن الثَنايا العذاب

though I have not left it devoid of meanings

that are more enticing than sweet front teeth.